The Wendigos
The Wendigos are one of the two main antagonists in Until Dawn. They are humans who have been changed by a Native American spirit into cannibalistic monsters after they ate the flesh of other humans around the mines due to starvation after many days. History It is unknown how long they have lived in Blackwood but it's suggested they've been around since before the first settlements. Long ago, a Native American tribe known as the Cree preserved the Blackwoods as well as it's wildlife, believing it would anger the mountain and unleash the Wendigo Curse but what they call, "A creature born from ice". 1893 In 1893, the mine was opened on the site of rich deposits of tin and radium, but over the years the Cree warned the miners that they had unleashed the spirit that dwelled within the mountain, cursing the land and its inhabitants. 1950 Around the 1950s, a structural failure caused part of the mine to cave in, trapping a group of miners. A rescue was mounted and the rescuers found that some of the miners survived after murdering and eating others due to starvation. The survivors began to display unusual physiological characteristics, and a cover-up ensued as they were confined in the sanatorium for study. The staff observed and experimented on the miners as they mutated into Wendigos. Eventually, the Wendigos broke out of confinement and slaughtered the sanatorium staff. Appearance Wendigos are hideous in appearance. Their skin is taut against their bodies; they exhibit spinal disfiguration, giving them a hunchback-like appearance. Their teeth become sharper and disfigured; their sight changes to be able to see only movement; their limbs become much longer, giving them the ability to climb up walls, and to make small jumps from spot to spot in the blink of an eye. They also lose their hair and they eventually lose their male and female characteristics, becoming skeletal in appearance. It's interesting to note that Wendigos will retain any tattoo or alterations to their skin, evidenced by Josh recognizing Hannah's tattoo late in the game. Characteristics Wendigos are known to have some set behavior patterns. They often track their prey for up to several hours. It seems they like to hunt prey alone, rather than in packs. They are shown to have great predatory skills. They do not appear to lose their humanity completely as they can use some human-like tricks to lure their prey. Another example of this is how Hannah never directly kills Mike, suggesting that some of her affection towards him remains. She may also spare Josh from death if he recognizes her. Wendigos see movement, and mobile persons are highlighted in their vision. They are generally unable to track those who remain still. Their main way of communication is by screeching, and they can use their vocalizations to scare prey into moving, leading to a gruesome kill. It's interesting to note however, that they have the ability to mimic the voice of someone they hear. It's unknown how this happens. Wendigos may also attack each other, possibly as a way to reduce competition for food, though the reason is never made clear. Despite their frail appearance, Wendigos are incredibly strong, capable of crushing a human skull with their own bare hands. They seem to favor brutal, deliberate methods of killing their prey, such as gouging out the eyes of their victims or impaling them on hooks rather than simply slashing them with their claws, indicating that Wendigos are sadistic, rather than merely animal killers. Until Dawn Prologue On the night Hannah and Beth Washington went missing, a Wendigo was tracking them. The Stranger was hunting the Wendigo, but could not save the two girls from falling to their deaths. Hannah survived the fall with a broken leg and wrote a diary. During the month that she was trapped in the mines, she became extremely hungry and dug up Beth's corpse. Much to her grief, she ate Beth's corpse and began transforming. Her last diary entry is unintelligible. Present Chapter 3 The first wendigo is encountered by Mike and Jess, who are being tracked on their way to the cabin. The Wendigo will chase the couple into the cabin and soon after pull Jess through the door's window then drag her off to an abandoned mining facility nearby. If Mike moves quickly, the Wendigo will leave Jessica injured but alive. If he takes too long (choosing the longer route too often or failing QTEs), it gives the wendigo enough time to rip off Jessica's lower jaw. No matter the result, the wendigo will look down toward Mike long enough for the player to aim and shoot. Chapter 6 The Wendigo is next encountered at the Fire Tower with Matt and Emily. It trips the motion sensor on sight, and attempts to gain access to the top of the tower by banging on the door. When that fails, it then cuts the line holding the tower in place. By cutting the line, it makes the entire structure collapse. If Matt attempts to save Emily and falls into the mine, he will then be encountered by the Wendigo. If he survives, the Wendigo will scurry off into the night. If he dies, his chin gets impaled by a hook in the cave. Chapter 7 After Emily is shown making her way through the tunnels, she hears screeching and yelling with the occasional burst of fire. After she unsuccessfully tries to run away from the Stranger, he gives her some flares and pushes her down a chute. Despite the Stranger's efforts, she is tracked by a Wendigo which shows up behind a man-made wall when Emily is observing an item. The Wendigo takes a more proactive approach and forces an elevator Emily is riding to the surface to come to a stop. She has to stay still to avoid being caught, and if the player successfully keeps her still, she jumps off the elevator and makes an escape attempt with the Wendigo in hot pursuit. She manages to slam and lock a door but gets complacent and is bitten. After a few more QTEs, she will successfully evade the Wendigo and return to the lodge. Chapter 8 After Emily sprints to the lodge, the Stranger confronts the group and informs them of the Wendigo. When Mike reveals that he and Chris left Josh in the shed, the Stranger and Chris venture into the woods to find him. Seeing a broken chair, it's noted that Josh is most likely dead. When they make their way back, The Wendigo ambushes the pair and beheads the Stranger. Chris is forced into a firefight with the Wendigo. Depending on the reaction skill of Chris, he can shoot the Wendigo multiple times before making it back into the house. Depending on QTE success and character relationships, Chris may be decapitated by the Wendigo on his way back to the lodge. It's shown that an unconscious Josh is dragged away by the Wendigo. Chapter 9 Mike and the wolf (depending on Mike's choices) are tracked by the Wendigo throughout the Psychiatric Wing of the Sanatorium. The clues found here uncover the history of the Blackwood Pines Wendigos, including a brief reel of a partially or fully transformed wendigo (likely Billy Bates) breaking his bonds before (presumably) attacking and killing the medical staff. During this time, he also encounters multiple Wendigos that have been imprisoned by the Stranger or were left in their cells when the building was abandoned. They will try to grab him on his shoulder and his foot. Depending on Mike's reaction time, he can avoid these. A Wendigo will also be hunting Jess and Matt. If Jess and Matt try to run instead of hiding or the player character cannot keep still, the wendigo will kill one or both of them (depending on the specifics of the situation). Chapter 10 Sam and Mike attempt to rescue Josh so they can get the cable car key and escape the mountain. Depending on how much information the player finds, the wendigo (Hannah) will either spare Josh or kill him. Either way, Josh will be separated from Sam and Mike again. Sam and Mike will return to the lodge, where they find that the miner Wendigos have broken in, forcing them to flee upstairs. Wendigo Hannah will then start fighting the older creatures, creating a gas leak. Mike and Sam will attempt to ignite the gas leak to destroy the Wendigos. Depending on player choice and/or player ability, certain survivors may die in the attempt to blow up the lodge and kill the Wendigos inside. After the events, if Josh is killed, all of the Wendigos are dead, but if he survived, then a wendigo spirit (possibly the spirit of Makkapitew) will possess him. Known Wendigos *Makkapitew - Fully Transformed *Hannah Washington - Fully Transformed *Josh Washington - Partially Transformed (if survived) *Billy Bates - Fully Transformed Trivia *Wendigos may attack each other if they're the only ones moving to each other's predator-like vision. *They look similar to Nova Crawlers from Call Of Duty: Black Ops Zombies. *The Case Study Dossier found in the Sanatorium shows how long the transformation takes and what signs appear. Transformation begins with what appears to be an incubation period of at least 4 days (perhaps much longer) before any visible signs appear. The transformation then progresses very quickly from four days to up to at least twelve. Each day, they become more monstrous and lose their humanity. *When a Wendigo bites or feeds, it becomes stronger. It's interesting to note that in the end game when the Wendigos battle it out in the cabin, Hannah is able to overpower every single one of them. This is probably due to the fact that Hannah is possessed by the Makkapitew Wendigo spirit (the strongest Wendigo). *According to the Stranger's journal, a wendigo's skin is hard like armor and cannot be cut, stabbed, or pierced by bullets, though a shotgun can slow them down. The only surefire way to hold them at bay is to use fire, making their skin weak, though he doesn't advise finishing it off, only as a last resort, as death releases the Wendigo spirit. It is unknown if partial-transformed Wendigos still have tough armor as they are still undergoing transformation. *According to the Stranger, one of the ways the Wendigos like to murder their victims is by completely immobilizing them, then stripping the skin off their bodies piece by piece, then making the still living victim watch in agony as they harvest and eat their organs. This style of death, however, is not seen in the game. *Despite being undead-seeming mutant humans, Wendigos are not zombies, nor do they have an infectious bite; a person bitten by a Wendigo will not become one due to the attack, only if they eat human flesh while a wendigo spirit is free to possess them. *The Wendigos can mimic other people's voices into luring their prey to kill them. Ashley claims that she heard Jessica calling for help within the mine, but Jessica says during her interview with the police that she didn't call for help and managed to escape. If Ashley chooses to follow Jessica's voice in the mines, she will be attacked and decapitated by a Wendigo if she opens a trapdoor in the floor. *It seems they retain some kind of traces of humanity in their behavior, as one of them may have used Jess' mobile phone as a bait to get her attention. **This is further supported by the situation in which Josh notices Hannah's tattoo and realizes the Wendigo is her, whereupon she will kidnap him instead of killing and eating him, implying familial bonds can still be partially recognized by the human side of the Wendigo. This of course only happens if other criteria are met, namely Sam and Mike discovering the truth about Hannah. **As a Wendigo, Hannah notably never causes fatal injuries to Mike, despite having many opportunities to do so. This could be evidence that some of her humanity, such as her affection for Mike, persists even after transformation. Gallery Wendigo1.png|A Wendigo chasing after Emily in the mines. EmilyWendigo.png|Emily being killed by the Wendigo. Wendigo3.png|One of the miner Wendigo's in the Sanatorium. Wendigo4.png|Wendigo close-up. Wendigo5.png|A Wendigo about to attack Mike. Wendigo6.png|The final confrontation with the Wendigos in the lodge. Wendigo7.png Wendigo8.png Sam9.png|Sam running from the Wendigos, to the switch. Category:Characters Category:Antagonists Category:Determinant Fate Category:Wendigos